The Student Room Group

Bristol , Manchester (neuroscience) or UEA (medicine)?

I have been offered to study medicine at UEA... I love the look of the course (hands on/leaves graduates well-prepared) but not so much the University (campus/only near a small city) and feel as though doing medicine may limit my experience of being at uni (socially) but then again I don't want to throw away a Medicine offer.

Other options are Manchester (neuroscience/psychology) which is my ideal course in terms of contact hours/suited to my interests but wouldn't lead to my ideal career (psychiatrist). Also Manchester accommodation a bit far from main campus which may be a pain.

Or Bristol (neuroscience) which is my ideal city and idea of uni life/interesting people to meet but limited course/contact hours.

What do people think? Or am I just being too picky?
Nice dilemma, congrats.
Reply 2
Original post by abi.ggggg
I have been offered to study medicine at UEA... I love the look of the course (hands on/leaves graduates well-prepared) but not so much the University (campus/only near a small city) and feel as though doing medicine may limit my experience of being at uni (socially) but then again I don't want to throw away a Medicine offer.

Other options are Manchester (neuroscience/psychology) which is my ideal course in terms of contact hours/suited to my interests but wouldn't lead to my ideal career (psychiatrist). Also Manchester accommodation a bit far from main campus which may be a pain.

Or Bristol (neuroscience) which is my ideal city and idea of uni life/interesting people to meet but limited course/contact hours.

What do people think? Or am I just being too picky?


What do you want to do in the future?
Reply 3
Original post by MR1999
What do you want to do in the future?


I am indecisive, sometimes a neuropsychiatrist and sometimes a more research based/academic in neuroscience/psychology doing clinical trials etc.
Reply 4
Original post by DrSocSciences
Nice dilemma, congrats.


hahah, cheers!
Reply 5
Original post by abi.ggggg
I am indecisive, sometimes a neuropsychiatrist and sometimes a more research-based/academic in neuroscience/psychology doing clinical trials etc.


I'm guessing you could still do the latter as a doctor, so I would say go for medicine.
Original post by abi.ggggg
I have been offered to study medicine at UEA... I love the look of the course (hands on/leaves graduates well-prepared) but not so much the University (campus/only near a small city) and feel as though doing medicine may limit my experience of being at uni (socially) but then again I don't want to throw away a Medicine offer.

Other options are Manchester (neuroscience/psychology) which is my ideal course in terms of contact hours/suited to my interests but wouldn't lead to my ideal career (psychiatrist). Also Manchester accommodation a bit far from main campus which may be a pain.

Or Bristol (neuroscience) which is my ideal city and idea of uni life/interesting people to meet but limited course/contact hours.

What do people think? Or am I just being too picky?


I'm on a gap year and have visited friends up in Bristol and Manchester overnight. I have also applied to Manchester (for economics). Manchester is amazing for sciences and i have a friend who says the course is challenging yet do-able.

I can give you some tips on the student life too.
1) Bristol is AMAZING. If you need any help on what accomodation is best PM me!
The nightlife is great too. Good for music e.g. the techno/electronic scene is good and massive attack have come from bristol

2) Manchester is very very nice too. Fallowfield campus is beautiful,
and despite the accomodation being a little far from the uni, it gives it a great student vibe and everyone is so chill. It's very cheap too!
Manchester, Leeds and Bristol are the most vibrant cities bar London in terms of uni choices.

Not too sure about UEA, but if you want a good time, i would recommend either Britsol or Manchester.
Original post by abi.ggggg
I have been offered to study medicine at UEA... I love the look of the course (hands on/leaves graduates well-prepared) but not so much the University (campus/only near a small city) and feel as though doing medicine may limit my experience of being at uni (socially) but then again I don't want to throw away a Medicine offer.

Other options are Manchester (neuroscience/psychology) which is my ideal course in terms of contact hours/suited to my interests but wouldn't lead to my ideal career (psychiatrist). Also Manchester accommodation a bit far from main campus which may be a pain.

Or Bristol (neuroscience) which is my ideal city and idea of uni life/interesting people to meet but limited course/contact hours.

What do people think? Or am I just being too picky?


Well really it all boils down to do you want to be a doctor or not? In terms of your concerns re medicine social life- medics are known for studying hard and partying harder. It wasn't at UEA but a friend of mine did Medicine at uni and she had just as full a social life as anyone else during the pre clinical years including nights out. Re your concerns with UEA as a whole, I went there and it never felt like a campus bubble, there are buses which run from campus to town so you can get out easily and even coming from London I didn't find the city centre lacking in anything.
Reply 8
Bristol neuroscience is definitely not limited on contact hours... most of the time in first year my hours were 36 hours per week, 6 of which being labs
Original post by abi.ggggg
I am indecisive, sometimes a neuropsychiatrist and sometimes a more research based/academic in neuroscience/psychology doing clinical trials etc.


This does sound like a tricky dilemma.

Perhaps you need to ask yourself "why do I want to become a doctor?" or "how likely will I want to change my mind and specialise in something other than neurology/psychology"? And things like that.

I think your best bet is to pursue Medicine. That way you can study everything, including neurology and psychiatry. You would also experience these in your work placement too, hopefully.

But I'm assuming you know in order to become a psychiatrist takes at least another 8 years of training after medical school (2 years of general psychiatry and then 6 years of specialist training. And this is all postgraduate training too). So you have to remember, it's a HUGE, long investment to become a psychiatrist.

It all boils down to: do you want to be a doctor or a clinician instead?

I do envy you though - if I was science smart, I would have loved to become a psychiatrist. Mental disorders intrigue me so much!
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by calooee
Bristol neuroscience is definitely not limited on contact hours... most of the time in first year my hours were 36 hours per week, 6 of which being labs


Can you please tell me more about Neuroscience at Bristol? How big are your classes? How diverse is the uni? How are the professors/lecturers? Does the program prepare you for graduate entry to med? I’m planning on doing med maybe in America
Original post by abi.ggggg
I have been offered to study medicine at UEA... I love the look of the course (hands on/leaves graduates well-prepared) but not so much the University (campus/only near a small city) and feel as though doing medicine may limit my experience of being at uni (socially) but then again I don't want to throw away a Medicine offer.

Other options are Manchester (neuroscience/psychology) which is my ideal course in terms of contact hours/suited to my interests but wouldn't lead to my ideal career (psychiatrist). Also Manchester accommodation a bit far from main campus which may be a pain.

Or Bristol (neuroscience) which is my ideal city and idea of uni life/interesting people to meet but limited course/contact hours.

What do people think? Or am I just being too picky?



Hi @abi.ggggg,

Congratulations on your offer to study medicine at UEA—what a great achievement! In response to your concerns about the university experience UEA has to offer, I can lend an insight to life as a student here. UEA is a thriving campus with a strong community feel to it, and is renowned for continuously being ranked among the top universities in the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey year after year.

Check out the Ask a Student page on our website, where we have current students answering questions about UEA life, Norwich, and course specific queries; you can read and direct message our Medicine rep here about all things Medicine at UEA. Being a medical student doesn’t mean sacrificing your social life. I have just graduated from UEA myself (BA English Literature), and I have a few friends still studying medicine here. I lived with medical students in my first year in halls and they socialised more than the rest of us! There is a strong community between the medical students, and I remember them going on large group pub crawls in scrubs! Important to note, Norwich Medical School’s employability is incredibly high, with approximately 98 per cent of students employed in the health profession upon graduation.

Norwich is a vibrant city with a constant buzz about it—there are always things going on! Norwich has everything cities like Manchester and Bristol have—be that bars, shops, and nightlife—compacted into a beautiful, eclectic city space. Norwich boasts a flourishing arts scene, with music and literature to inspire everyone’s tastes. It is one of the UK’s hidden gems, and many students don’t want to leave!

I hope I have helped in some way. If you have any questions, please do ask! Good luck from us here at UEA and I hope you make the right decision for you :smile:

-Sian, UEA Official Rep

Quick Reply

Latest